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Table of Contents Message from Diocesan Episcopa .............................. 3
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ecumenical Easter
Letter ......................................................................... 5
Editorial ..................................................................... 7
Felicitation ................................................................. 9
Silver Jubilee Felicitation ........................................ 9
Harmony Through Arts ............................................. 10
Missionary call in the Mar Thoma Church’s Holy
Qurbana Liturgy, Part-2 ............................................ 12
MAR ATHANASIUS, MAR THEODOSIUS, MAR
COORILOS TWENTYFIVE YEARS IN EPISCOPACY OF
THE MAR THOMA CHURCH .................................. 15
‘Pillars of Ecumenical Unity & Harmony’ ............... 18
Episcopal Ministry- A Sacramental Representation
of Jesus Christ ...................................................... 24
History ..................................................................... 27
The Origins of the Mar Thoma Church in London:
The Early History (1957-1960). ............................. 27
News ....................................................................... 28
Sabha Directory-2015-Released ........................... 28
New report is wake up call for rural mission ......... 30
Brutal murder of Coptic Christians in Libya ........... 31
ASHA BHAVAN ..................................................... 32
33rd Mar Thoma Family Conference...................... 34
Go out into Eastville and preach the good news ... 36
A Day of Fellowship and Harmony ........................ 37
Condolences ........................................................ 39
First woman bishop ordained in the Church of
England ................................................................ 39
Youth Conference Article ..................................... 40
ECHO Garden ........................................................... 42
~ - Separated - ~ ................................................... 42
April Edition Vol 2 No.1
Cover Page Design : Revd: Jose Punamadam
For private circulation only
Disclaimer: The views published in this journal are
those of its authors. Editors or the COMPE do not
endorse the contents or views expressed and they are
not liable for the contents or views in any form.
The COMPE Executive Committee
President: The Rt.Revd. Dr.GeeVarghese Mar Theodosius
Vice President : Revd.Dr. Thomas Philips
Secretary: Mr.P.M.Mathew
Treasurer : Mr.Jaffey Chacko
Editorial Board of the Mar Thoma Echo
Editorial Director : Dr. Zac Varghese
Cheif Editor : Revd: Jose Punamadam
Mr. Sherry Mathews
Mr. Oommen Abraham
Mrs. Geena Ajay
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Message from Diocesan
Episcopa Harmony
The present issue of ECHO is focussing on the
topic, Harmony. It is in the disharmony of life, we
begin to understand the importance of harmony;
the blackness of discord brings out the whiteness
of the beauty and purity of harmonious living. We
often need this contrast to appreciate things in
life. Our dependence on mere material existence
is temporary and troublesome because of an
existential disharmony: human beings tend to
neglect the spiritual dimension of their lives and
focus only on material ambitions and
achievements. This imbalance stunts their ability
to appreciate the fullness of life. The resulting
dissatisfaction appears individually as stress,
depression, anxiety, irritability, and so on, and
socially as disunity, violence, and war. This
disharmony is much evident in the modern
culture. Harmony is a theme we never think of
seriously, but conductors and choir masters strive
very hard to achieve harmony, and try to achieve
this by continued training and asking members of
their orchestras to listen to each other; they even
tone down one voice or instrument to give
emphasis for another. This giving and sharing is
part of a beautiful harmonious life. Each of us
carries a music of life within us, and we need to
find a harmony to live together to create a
glorious harmony to give glory to God and
become members of the heavenly orchestra.
We are all concerned about the future growth of
the Mar Thoma Church in Europe. The
publication of the Mar Thoma Echo is part of this
concern and an initiative. A church community
needs organisations, but there is always a danger
that organisations or projects take over and
become end in itself rather than facilitating the
founding vision. Fortunately, we are blessed to be
a community with many God-given talents,
temperaments and approaches that tend to
complement each other for the benefit, work and
vision we are all committed to. Church is the body
of Christ and Christ is the head. St. Paul in writing
to the church at Corinth is speaking about the
body with many organs 1Cor. 12. He goes on
saying that love binds and brings harmony. My
sense after 25 years as a bishop is that we are still
a Mar Thoma community first and an
organisation second. Thus recommitment to the
original vision of being a Christian community
would help us to avoid disharmony in our daily
encounters. Think globally and the act locally. We
need to establish a harmony between God’s
purposes for us and our actions.
Sri Aurobindo said that all problems of existence
are essentially problems of harmony. We need the
art of living. If we look across the spectrum of life
and existence we can see that all problems can be
solved by creating higher degrees of harmony. We
can view any situation where there is a problem
and see how creating a greater degree of harmony
between the parties involved can solve the
problem. If you examine any crisis, one can see
that problems can be resolved by bringing about
greater coordination, cooperation, and
collaboration by bringing differing values and
attitudes into the same line among the
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participants. By bringing greater harmony
between the different aspects of his or her being,
problems can be solved. The ultimate harmonies
are spiritual in nature. God created one world
with different creations. We call that oneness,
unity of mind and purpose. Harmony does not
mean to compromise. It means to use a higher
understanding under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit to find a true reconciliation between the
opposites.
Of course growth in any human activity needs
form, purpose, and discipline or it can become
chaotic. When we hear different voices in a
community we often have a longing for harmony.
We need to develop an accommodative sense of a
community like in an orchestra, listening to the
demands of the conductor for bringing the beauty
and melody of a piece of music. The eighteenth-
century puritan pastor Jonathan Edwards wrote a
great deal about the supreme harmony of
Trinity. In the Trinitarian relationship of the
Godhead, we see the ultimate reality of the unity
in the diversity. The period of Lent and Easter
experiences give us a sense of the love that flows
and binds this Trinitarian relationship.
Easter provides us with a sense of hope amid the
shifting patterns of our lives from which to reflect
what lies beyond. In this insight we see how birth
and death are linked. The resurrection story does
not end with the appearances of Jesus to the
disciples alone or elected few after his death. The
real resurrection is the passing beyond the world
altogether and returning; it is a passage beyond
space and time to the eternal. Jesus passed into
that harmony of the Trinitarian living. It is into
that communion we are invited to enter by our
harmonious Christian living by living out the
Gospel in our everyday life. St.Peter
writes, “Finally, all of you, live in harmony with
one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be
compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil
with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing,
because to this you were called so that you may
inherit a blessing (1 Peter 3; 8-9). Silence is the
most significant harmonious moment in our lives
and it is in silence we know our God and
experience His unconditional love. May the grace
of God help you all to find that heavenly peace
and harmony in all seasons of life.
Wish everyone a happy and meaningful Easter.
Mar Theodosius+
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ARCHBISHOP
OF CANTERBURY
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s
Ecumenical Easter Letter
“Rejoice, 0 Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Saviour, our Lord of life, shines
upon you! Let all God’s people sing and
shout for joy!”
These words of triumph are sung out across
churches as Easter dawns. For centuries such
sounds of joy at the Easter festival have echoed
and continue to echo around the globe in a
multitude of different tongues and cultural
contexts, making a deep impact on the lives of
Christians and Churches. With the confession of
Jesus having conquered death we proclaim that
we have been raised to new life in him.
In the 15th chapter of the First Letter to the
Corinthian Christians St Paul couples the
resurrection of Christ with confidence in the
resurrection of Christ’s people. The Apostle
clearly states that the resurrection of Christ is a
beginning, and that the hope of our own
resurrection can only be in Christ. He argues; if
the dead are not raised, then Christ is not raised;
and if Christ has not been raised, then his
proclamation is empty and our faith is in vain.
Having laid out all the arguments that would
dispose of the Christian claim to the risen Christ,
he continues: ‘But in fact Christ has been
raised from the dead, the first fruits of
those who have fallen asleep.’ This is the
faith that is also proclaimed in the Byzantine
opening to the Easter Liturgy and which has been
the confession of Christians down the ages.
The resurrection of Christ is the great hope, not
only for each of us individually, but also for
today’s troubled world - a world in which violence
and violation of human rights describe the day to
day context of people in many parts; a world in
which moral and spiritual values often seem
hopelessly inadequate against the forces of self-
seeking gain in every sphere of life. It is also a
world in which our brother and sister Christians
are still a beleaguered and even persecuted
community in many places, as they have been at
different times and places in history. We continue
to remember the suffering Christians in the
Middle East. This year our remembrance is also
focussed particularly on the Armenian people who
a century ago were driven to their death and into
exile because they were Christians.
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It is into this world that the message of the
Church at Easter remains constant over the
centuries, proclaiming in the midst of
hopelessness the hope of Christ, triumphant
beyond death and the powers of evil; living and
life giving amongst us.
In this resurrection faith we follow the saints and
martyrs throughout the ages who have
proclaimed the Risen Christ as their Lord and
Saviour, who believe that in Christ there is
abundant life and that death and suffering will
not have the final say. The Easter faith
strengthens us with the hope in life, here and now
and in the world to come. This hope is not an
illusion, which turns out to be empty; rather, it is
the tested cantus firmus over the ages for all
Christians. Beyond human imagination, the
power of the resurrection overcomes disparate,
conflict-laden and destructive forces. We are
called to proclaim God’s Good News in confidence
and obedience to Christ to bring healing and
reconciliation.
Christ’s resurrection, therefore, also compels us to
ever closer bonds of Christian fellowship with one
another — the saints in the here and now - to seek
greater unity and work together with Christ, as his
Body, in the newness of life already begun by him.
It is in this spirit that I greet you with this letter. I
will continue to pray that the hope and joy of the
resurrected Christ will deeply move our hearts
and souls, that it will heal relationships between
individuals, communities and nations, and that it
will banish fear, overcome suffering, broker peace
and bring reconciliation.
I close with the Song of Zechariah (Luke 1:78):
“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from
on high will break upon us, to give light to those
that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
I embrace you with brotherly love in the Risen
Christ.
The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby
Archbishop of Canterbury
Easter 2015
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Editorial “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when
brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil
on the head, running down on the beard, on the
beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his
robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on
the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has
commanded the blessing, life forevermore”[Psalm
133:1-3].
By the grace of God, we are happy to offer the
third issue of the Mar Thoma ECHO with the
theme, Harmony, which is based on the third
letter ‘H’ of the title of the Journal. ECHO was
born with a purpose; the purpose that God has
placed within you and me. As a diaspora
community, it is imperative that we need to be
ENGAGED, effectively COMMUNICATED and
live in HARMONY where Son of God placed us.
The word 'Harmony’ originated in the late Middle
English via Old French from Latin harmonia
meaning ‘joining, concord’ and from Greek from
harmos meaning ‘joint’.
Since God has placed us in a functional unit called
society, it's vital to be in harmony with good
things and disharmonious with unnecessary
things. Hence let us ask God for discernment to
make the right choices.
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and
beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with
one another and, if one has a complaint against
another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has
forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above
all these put on love, which binds everything
together in perfect harmony” [Colossians 3:12-
14].
God's word reminds us to live in harmony with
one another, not to be proud and conceited, but
willing to be associated with people of low
position. Often the beginning point of all
harmonious relations is reconciliation and
forgiveness. Reconciliation requires
acknowledging that a difference exists and it must
be based on reality. It is followed by forgiveness
[Ephesians 4:31-32], love [1 John 4:18], unity [1
Corinthians 1:10], endurance and encouragement
[Romans 15:4-5].
Listening to Rev. Canon J. John over the weekend
speaking on effective evangelism, the importance
of our calling as evangelists or missionaries was
thoroughly impressed. As he has rightly said 'A
missionary is not someone who crosses the sea,
but someone who sees the Cross.' We, as a called
out community, are people who sees the Cross
and renew our relation with our Creator every
day; thus evangelism starts with harmony
between God and man, starting from our home. It
is an agreement and joining between man and
God.
This had been man's destiny from the first. But
Scripture tells us more: God could entrust man
with such a high calling because He had created
humankind in His own image and likeness. The
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external responsibility was not committed to him
without the inner fitness. The root of man's inner
resemblance to God was in his nature to have
dominion, to be lord of all. There was an inner
agreement and harmony between God and man,
an embryonic Godlikeness, which gave man a real
fitness for being the mediator between God and
His world.
As it is crucial for a country to stand united, so it's
true for families and churches. Studies have
proved that population has a greater impact on
harmony than either wealth or political system. In
most of the cases, the global indicators such as
freedom, wealth and happiness determines the
harmoniousness but fail to acknowledge the
importance of rich and diverse social relations for
well being.
If family can be defined as the primary social unit
in society comprising of parents and their
children, it's crucial that there's harmony between
the members. Or else it will be dysfunctional. We
are called into fellowship with one another, in the
same way God has called us to be in fellowship
with His son Jesus Christ. Eventually that perfect
harmony will bring glory to God and will be a
reflection of the image of Christ and we live by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
As apostle Paul writes in Ephesians, we are
members of one body, the universal church of
God, 'being fellow citizens with God's people and
members of God's household, built on the
foundation of the apostles, and prophets, with
Christ himself as the chief cornerstone. In Christ
the whole building is joined together and rises to
become a holy temple in the Lord'. Church is thus
not merely a place, but it's a people, God's people
in Jesus Christ our Lord. The gospel of Christ is
displayed in church when His people commit to
love, serve and forgive each other, striving to
bring harmony and peace, bringing glory to His
name.
Fellow believers, as we identify with the passion,
crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
our Lord and Saviour, let us fix our gaze upon that
heavenly calling set upon our hearts by the
working of His Holy Spirit, bring into fruition the
vision that God has planted in us, living joyfully,
victoriously and harmoniously with each other to
bring His Kingdom upon earth. As we together
pray, Father let Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be
done, here on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.
We take this opportunity to wish you all a very
happy Easter.
The Editorial Board
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Felicitation
The Rt. Revd. Dr. Geevarghese Mar
Theodosius
Silver Jubilee Felicitation
Silver jubilee is a time for reflections and giving
thanks to God for the way God guided Thirumeni
to do God’s mission. The Europe region of the
Diocese of North America and Europe is very
grateful to Thirumeni for the way he guided and
blessed us over the last six years. His regular visits
and pastoral letters helped the whole community
in various developments. We, in Europe,
particularly thank him for creating and nurturing
the Council of the Mar Thoma Parishes in Europe
(COMPE). He was also very thoughtful in
creating ‘altar boys and girls’ for encouraging
young boys and girls to fully participate in our
worship service. This helps them to develop a
liturgical lifestyle from such a young age.
Thirumeni has been constantly reminding us of
the need for a regional mission project as well.
Theodosius Thirumeni entered the Episcopal
ministry in 1989. His doctoral Thesis based on the
life of Sri Narayana Guru and the spiritual life of
Eezhava community was the beginning of his
scholastic pursuits and commitment to the
development of the marginalised people; this
again is evident in the projects he initiated for the
mentally handicapped and AIDS victims in the
Trivandrum Diocese. Thirumeni continues to give
leadership for the mission programme in Mexico
and for the Amerindians of North
America. Thirumeni is a disciplinarian and has
great respect for the constitutional formularies of
the church for the diocesan administration.
Although Thirumeni’s office is in Merrick, New
York, he is always available to help us with his
advice through digital and other forms of
communication. He is intimately involved with all
aspects of our life in Europe; he is a true shepherd
and a model bishop. His messages are constantly
available to us through various publications of the
diocese. We particularly thank Thirumeni for his
vision to start a regional on line journal, Echo, in
2014. His diocese extends over North America,
Canada and Europe and therefore, one wonders
how he finds time for catching up will all spiritual
and administrative needs of this vast diocese. We
are sure that the imaginative and prophetic
leadership of Theodosius Thirumeni would help
the Mar Thoma Christians in Europe to equip
themselves for God’s mission and forging
ecumenical relationship with other churches for
spreading kingdom values.
We pray to our Lord and our God to give
Thirumeni very good health to continue his
ministry for spreading the good news. We also
offer thanks to God for the life and ministry of the
Rt. Revd Geevarghese Mar Athanasius and the Rt.
Revd Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilos.
For The Mar Thoma ECHO Community
London, April, 2015.
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Harmony Through Arts
Rev.Dr.M.J.Joseph,Devalokam
Aristotle has rightly said that “the ultimate value
of life depends upon AWARENESS AND THE
POWER OF CONTEMPLATION RATHER THAN
MERE SURVIVAL”. For this, poetry, paintings,
architecture, music, dance and even the formation
of clouds on the horizon are important and they
form the very texts for human survival.
Called to be God’s work of art
The word, “harmony” means “agreement in
relation”-fitting together of parts so as to form a
connected whole. The parts need not be of the
same stature. The possibility of plurality is
envisaged in the very concept of harmony. For
Manava Maithri, we need to create strong social
bonds through love. Love does not consist in
gazing at each other, but looking outward
together in the same direction. I would say that
art-whether poetry, music, painting, sculpture,
dance or other forms serve a purpose if people
look outward together in the same direction. In
Eph 2:10, St. Paul speaks of Christians as
“Poiema” of God. The Greek word poiema could
be translated as creation, composition, poem etc.
In the Jerusalem Bible, it is rendered as “we are
God’s work of art”. What a noble expectation of
human beings by God in the plan of salvation!
Art for social transformation
We are meant to reflect the harmony of the art of
living through our lives. A flower that is kept in a
vase speaks to us volumes. The orderliness and
the fragrance of a flower are supposed to create
poems within us! They are meant to create
harmony within us. In the holistic understanding
of health, sickness is disharmony within the body.
In the sphere of health, the mind, body and spirit
are interconnected and they need to be in
harmony to achieve the state of “Soukya” (well-
being). This means that “the word harmony has
its meaning in art, health, religion and culture”.
Our objective is to achieve a state of integration
and comprehension and even convergence in
individual and social relationships. We need to
ask ourselves whether this purpose is served.
What harm is there if we worship God in a church
building in the form of a temple structure.? Why
do we ascribe sanctity to the Gothic structure of
the medieval period? The artists have to play a
prophetic role in social transformation. In the
Indian aesthetics, all forms of arts-performing as
well as visual-are complementary. They have only
one goal-i.e.to create physical, social and psychic
harmony in the vast arena of life. What is required
is to imbibe the spirit of harmony in our lives as
spirituality for individual and social renewal.
Interdependence for communication and
communion
Truth, beauty and orderliness are divine
attributes which are communicated through art
forms. The world is the household (oikos) of God
which rests upon relationships. The
environmentalists may call it “the web of life”. In
God’s order of creation, everything has the right
to exist. The very talk of man and nature requires
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modification. As man is part and parcel of nature,
there is no point in making such a statement .The
conjunction-“and” is irrelevant in a bio-centric
attitude to life. To say that the tail of a monkey is
longer than the monkey is a false statement as the
tail has no existence apart from the monkey.
As nature is the art of God, we ought to perceive
His nature for adoration and appropriation. There
is a message of transcendence through art. It
transcends the borders of caste and religion.
Poetic symbols and imageries taken from nature
play a significant role in the art of
communication. In the classical literary work of
Mayoorasandesam by Keralavarma uses several
vivid imageries of nature for communication. The
paintings of Ajanta and Ellora Caves are indeed
poetry written for the posterity. They depict the
throbbing of the human heart in vibrant symbols.
The icons in the Orthodox tradition of the Church
embody the noblest language of the heart in
paintings. In the Syriac liturgical traditions, there
are several biblical symbolisms which emanate
effluent sparks. In worship service organized with
eco-bias, the formation of a mandala with the
elements of the panchabootha evokes in us the
intimate relationship between the humans and
the nature. A cosmic representation enacted
through the union of the panchabootha portrays
the dimension of an eco-friendly community
holding values of reverence for life.
Artists/Cartoonists should be assured that their
labour is not in vain.
I have written a poem on Cartoon which was
published in my book, Aroma of Christ
(German:Gebenund emphangen). Permit me
to quote a few lines: “…Lord, speak to me through
a cartoon. Son, it is the graph of life; it challenges
the conscience of the society….Arrogant
men/women are reduced to zero. The ordinary is
elevated to the level of extraordinary….Lord,
reduce me to the level of dots and ashes; Show me
the skeleton of every deed. And enable me to start
everything from the skeleton”.
The ordinary is sublime
In art, the ordinary is elevated to the lap of the
Divine. The flute which has only a few holes in the
hands of Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu in the
Indian Mythology, is a symbol of the Creator’s
appreciation of the ordinary. The air that passes
through its holes bring melodious music. The
primary task of the artist or the poet or the
painter or the dancer is to elevate the position of
the ordinary to a state of beauty. This is the only
way to bring about social amity. A greater
appreciation of the ordinary alone will bring
about a change for the better. Dr.A.P.J.Abdul
Kalam’s dream of a developed country will be
realized only if science and technology tread the
path of art. The cerebral man, the muscular man
and the cardiac man will have to travel together
along the way of satyam. Let Loka Samastha
Sukino Bhavantu be on our lips. Let us bring the
healing touch of art to all. The musings of the
heart are best communicated through nature
symbols. Universal symbols like dove, water, air,
fragrance etc. could be used in art and poetry for
conveying spiritual truths.
Harmony through ecological art forms
Permit me to make a reference to the ecological
art forms in ECC, Bangalore where I served as its
director. ECC stands for the unity of all creation.
There is a vineyard on the campus which was
planted by theologians from different Church
traditions in the Asian countries. We have named
it, “Ecumenical vineyard” and it carries a message
of the unity of the Churches in Asia. One may
qualify it as an “ecological art for ecclesial unity”.
The map of the world and of India designed there
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with plants is also an innovative form of
ecological art which could evoke fine feelings of
human harmony. The Mound of Religious
Harmony created by people of different faiths in
India by sowing seeds of kosmos plants on the
soil- bed is a symbol of religious harmony. The
beautiful yellow flowers appear once in three
months carried a message of beauty and
togetherness in the pluralistic context of India. It
also makes us aware of the spirituality of religions
which is rooted in the basics of life. The root
museum on the campus near the kitchen also
speaks of the bio-diversity under the earth. As it is
a powerful medium of communication across any
divide-religious or cultural, there should be
earnest effort to make use of the art medium for
communication. There are quite a few art forms in
nature like an ant hill and others shaped by rains,
sun rays, rivers and wind. If religion is meant to
bind the humans with God and other living beings
on this planet, the natural art forms have to be
widely appreciated and made use of for effective
communication and communion.
Missionary call in the Mar
Thoma Church’s Holy
Qurbana Liturgy, Part-2 Revd Dr. Joseph Daniel, Kumbanadu
Movements of Mission
The role of the Liturgy in inviting the
faithful to participate in the church’s mission to
draw faithful towards the realm of the synergy of
God and to return to the world to witness Trinity
is evident in the liturgy. Two movements for the
church’s mission can be drawn from the
celebration of the Holy Qurbana Liturgy of the
Mar Thoma Church: the movement of ascension
to the throne of God and the movement of return
to the world to witness the redeeming power of
Christ by responding positively to the work of God
in Jesus Christ.
The Movement of Ascension
The ‘movement of ascension to the throne
of God’ refers to the liturgical prayers which drive
the faithful to the throne of God and towards the
realm of God. This helps the faithful to participate
in the synergy of God. In the liturgy, there is
something audible, visible, tangible, palatable and
worthy to smell, in order to bring the faithful
members of the Church to the throne of God and
to His Kingdom. This means there is enough food
for the senses to experience the mystery of the
faith, which provide the worshipping community
to progress towards the realm of God and in the
light of that experience; the faithful receives the
strength to follow the liturgical life in the world
after the partaking of the Holy Qurbana. Thus the
call to divine realm and glory is a call to witness
Christ’s redemption in the creation. This process
starts with the journey towards the world. It is a
movement of return to the world to witness the
mission of God in Christ.
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The Movement of Return
The ‘movement of return’ to the world to
witness the redeeming work of Christ refers to the
liturgical dismissal blessing, which drives the
faithful from the throne of grace to the world to
witness the work of Christ in their market place. It
is a commissioning to extend God’s mission in the
market place. The second movement starts when,
the celebrant dismisses the faithful, with the
blessing (rusma) saying, “My beloved brethren. I
commend you to the grace and blessings of the
Holy Trinity, depart in peace with the gifts and
blessings that you have received from the atoning
sacrifice of the Lord... filled with joy and
gladness,” 1 as the celebrant leaves the
‘thronos’(altar) and leads the congregation
towards their home and to the world to lead a
sacramental life, which is in conformity with the
‘synergy’ of God. It is the sending forth of the
faithful members of the church to the world to
lead a ‘liturgical life after the partaking of the
Holy Qurbana’, by offering themselves as a living
sacrifice to God as Christ offered himself for the
redemption of the creation. This enables the
faithful to attract the creation towards the
sacramental life as the bees are being attracted by
flowers.
The ‘movement of return’ is the space for
the church’s witness in the world. The church
goes forth to the world to witness the Holy
Qurbana experience that the church experiences
1 The Mar Thoma Church Order of Worship for Holy
Qurbana and Other Sacraments and Rites, 65. .
and to invite the world to experience the
redemptive work of Christ in history and to
experience the Holy Qurbana experience of the
‘parousia’(second coming of Christ). Therefore no
one can go away from their commitment to
sacrifice themselves for Christ and His creation
after having received the Holy Qurbana, which is
the celebration of thanksgiving for God’s mission
of incarnation and God’s self-offering for
salvation of His creation. Therefore the
missionary dimension of the Holy Qurbana
Liturgy for the salvation of the world is imminent
in it. The following section is an attempt to deal
with the question of how the Church equips its
members for this mission.
Equipping missionaries for mission
The Mar Thoma Church practices the
‘Movement of Ascension to the realm of God’ and
the ‘Movement of Return to the world’, in its
praxis levels through its Prayer Groups and the
Church’s ancillary organizations’ regular
meetings, besides, its Holy Qurbana celebrations.
Two types of mission praxis, which stems of the
Mar Thoma Church’s liturgical practice, can be
identified: ‘internal missionary formation’
through the Prayer groups and the regular Holy
Qurbana liturgical practice.
Prayer groups role in forming
missionaries
The prayer group meetings, in which the
community living and the need for mission
14
outside (kerygma) and mission inside the church
(didache) emphasized as an extension of the
liturgical witness and the regular liturgical
celebration, which is considered to be the kernel
of the economy of salvation, by the church. The
prayer group experience refers to the effort of the
church to experience spontaneity and the internal
learning process within the church, in its local
levels, regularly through the prayer groups. The
prayer groups meet regularly once a week at
homes of its members for prayer, fellowship and
for the Biblical expositions. For the purpose of
fulfilment of its mission, the church is divided
into several prayer groups, made up of families
residing in a particular geographical location. The
regular meetings of the prayer groups are aimed
at educating the people within the church through
Biblical teachings and expositions, and through
extending fellowship, the faith of the church and
thereby, helping the church to keep the faith in its
local level vibrant. This teaching process of the
church for mission directs the faithful to be
responsible for their mission within the church
and to the world. Within the prayer group the
church collects resources regularly for the
running of its mission fields together with the day
to day ministry of the church. Under the auspices
of the ancillary organisations of the Church, the
same process of faith formation is being initiated.
The prayer group meetings teach the faithful
members of the church that every member of the
church need to witness Christ in the world.
Way to equip the faithful
The regular Holy Qurbana liturgical
practice on all Sundays, the days of the’ fast and
feasts’ and on the special occasions of the church,
brings the faithful to the Holy Qurbana in order to
find resources that are essential to equip
themselves to bear Christ’s witness to the world.
The liturgical celebration compels the faithful to
extend their witness, service and liturgy in the
world. Through the faithful members sacramental
witness the faithful hasten the transformation of
the world towards the church’s futuristic hope of
the ‘parousia’. This mode of Christian mission is
beyond the process of communicating the faith
through verbal communication. This paradigm of
mission is not in compliance with the mission
paradigm, which believe mission as the
transmission of religious convictions, doctrines
and morals to those who do not follow the same.
It calls the faithful to practice the liturgical life in
the market place, as a witness of Christ’s
redemption.
Mission approach
Practicing this mission paradigm, the Mar
Thoma Church, follows a distinct way of mission,
which is an inclusivist approach, in which other
missionary experiences and methods are
acknowledged and included in its mission praxis.
When the church celebrates the liturgy, the
church proclaims its commitment to sacrifice and
to invite men and creation to the church together
with the church’s futuristic hope of her final union
with God in ‘parousia.’ This paradigm of mission
aimed at facilitating the world to think about the
uniqueness of the mission of God revealed in
Christ’s redemption. In other words Christian
witnessing is primarily the sharing of the
redeeming existence and experience in Christ in
the world. This is a sacramental presence of Jesus
in the church for the transformation of the world.
In this process of witnessing, the place for the
numerical growth of the members through
conversion is not considered as primary objective.
But the primary objective is to witness Christ in
the market place through a sacramental living.
15
Conclusion
Thus the liturgy calls the faithful to shape
their daily work in the market place, in such a way
to resemble the nature, structure, symbols,
prayers and postures of the liturgy and to extend
the liturgical life in the faithful member’s daily
work. In this sense, faithful member’s work in the
market place is an extension of his worship
experience in the church. Thus the Mar Thoma
Church’s life is characterized by its participation
in the witness, worship and service.
Rev. Dr. Joseph Daniel
Vicar, Salem Mar Thoma Church, Kumbanadu
Lecturer (part-time), Mar Thoma Theological
Seminary, Kottayam
MAR ATHANASIUS, MAR
THEODOSIUS, MAR
COORILOS TWENTYFIVE
YEARS IN EPISCOPACY OF
THE MAR THOMA CHURCH Lal Varghese, Esq., Dallas
A Church, believed to be found by St. Thomas, the
Apostle of Jesus Christ, in A. D. 52 in Kerala has
grown as a global Church. Now, the Mar Thoma
Church has 1236 parishes and congregations
around the world, 831 active priests, and 179
retired priests living and serving in different parts
of the world. The total membership of the Church
is about 1.5 million people. The Church has
thirteen Bishops and thirteen dioceses. In its
mission statement, it is stated that – ‘The Church
should be the repository of the divine doctrines
revealed by Jesus Christ and proclaimed by His
Apostles. It should maintain these doctrines in
their purity and to promote the spiritual life of its
members through the administration of
sacraments and by the ministry of the Word of
God. The mission of the Church is to make
disciples of all nations by the proclamation of the
Gospel to the world.’ As fire exists by burning, a
Church exists by its mission and Mar Thoma
Church is truly a missionary Church; it has
expanded its missionary activities to Mexico and
among Native Americans under the Diocese of
North America & Europe. As part of the Navathy
celebrations the Diocese has built about 60
houses in the ‘Colonia Mar Thoma’ in Mexico for
the resettlement of the fishermen of the islands in
Mexico.
As stated by World Council of Churches, while
retaining many of the traditional characteristics of
the ancient Eastern Church, the Mar Thoma
Church keeps very close relations with Christian
Churches in other parts of the world. It is in full
16
communion with the Churches of the Anglican
Communion and maintains special relations with
the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in
the USA and the Anglican Churches in Australia
and Canada, as well as with the United Church in
Australia. In India, the Joint Council of the
Church of North India, the Church of South India
and the Mar Thoma Church has been renamed as
the Communion of Churches in India (CCI) in
2000 as a further step towards visible unity. The
Mar Thoma Church is fully involved in the
ecumenical movement and stands for active
cooperation with other Churches, as for example
for the re-building of the Nilackal Church in
Kerala, a place where it is believed that St.
Thomas established one of the Churches in A. D.
52.
Mar Thoma Church has always been blessed with
leaders with vision and faith who led the Church
with prayerful diligence and selfless
commitments. Rt. Rev. Geevarghese Mar
Athanasius, Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar
Theodosius and Rt. Rev. Dr. Euyakim Mar
Coorilos, three of our Bishops have completed
twenty-five years as Episcopas of the Mar Thoma
Church on December 9, 2014. They were
consecrated as Episcopas of the Mar Thoma
Church on December 9, 1989 at Thiruvalla by
Most Rev. Dr. Alexander Mar Thoma
Metropolitan. The COMPE, its general body,
executive committee, parishes in Europe region,
its members and Vicars, executive committee
members of the parishes, organizations, prayer
groups pray that God may continue to keep our
beloved Thirumenis in His providence so as to
continue their faith journey and lead our Church
in to the future so that God’s name will be
glorified.
Geevarghese Mar Athanasius
Rt. Rev. Geevarghese Mar Athanasius Episcopa
(Rev. C. I. George) belongs to Chirayilkandathil
family in Nedumpram, Thiruvalla. He was born
on April 26, 1944 to C. I. Idiculla and Achiyamma.
After graduation from Mar Thoma College,
Tiruvalla, Thirumeni obtained his bachelor’s
degree in theology from Leonard Theological
College, Jabalpur, MP, India. Thirumeni served as
Vicar of many Parishes including Mumbai,
Kottayam, and Madras. Thirumeni was ordained
as a Deacon on May 3, 1969 and was ordained as a
priest (Kassissa) on June 14, 1969. Later,
Thirumeni was ordained as Ramban on
November 4, 1989, and consecrated as Episcopa
on December 9, 1989 along with Rt. Rev. Dr. Dr.
Geevarghese Mar Theodosius and Rt. Rev. Dr.
Euyakim Mar Coorilos. From 1975 to 1976
Thirumeni was at Toronto, Canada for higher
studies in theology. Thirumeni served as Diocesan
Bishop of Bombay-Delhi Diocese, Diocese of
Kottayam-Kochi, and presently in charge of
Ranny-Nilackel Diocese since 2001. Mar
Athanasius served as Vice President of the
Governing Board of Leonard Theological College,
Jabalpur and as President of the National
Missionary Society. Recently, Thirumeni has not
17
been enjoying good health and let us continue to
pray for his full recovery.
Geevarghese Mar Theodosius
Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius
Episcopa (Rev. George Jacob) was born on
February 19, 1949 at Ashtamudi, Kerala to Dr. K.
J. Chacko and Mary Chacko of Ashtamudi
Kizhakkechakkalayil. Mar Theodosius studied at
Baselious College, Kottayam and Mar Thoma
College Thiruvalla. After completing his
bachelor’s degree in Science, he joined Leonard
Theological College in Jabalpur, MP, India and
took BD Degree in 1972. Thirumeni was ordained
as Deacon on June 24, 1972, and as Kassissa on
February 24, 1973. In 1980 Thirumeni took
Master’s Degree in Comparative Religions from
Visva Bharathi University and Doctorate from Mc
Master University, Hamilton, Canada in 1986.
Thirumeni’s dissertation for his Ph.D ‘Change
and Continuity in the Religious Life of Ezhavas in
the South Travancore’ is an expression of his
academic discipline. From 1973 onwards he was
in charge of several parishes including Mumbai,
Calcutta, Toronto and Nanthancode and he served
as director of Thomas Mar Athanasius
Orientation Centre, Manganam. He was ordained
as a Ramban on November 4, 1989 and as
Episcopa on December 9, 1989. Upon
consecration as Episcopa he was given charge of
Kunnamkulam- Madras Diocese. Thereafter he
served as Episcopa of Trivandurm-Quilon diocese
and of Chennai - Bangalore and Malaysia-
Singapore & Australia Dioceses. Presently,
Thirumeni is serving as Episcopa of the Diocese of
North America and Europe from January 2009.
Mar Theodosius is a scholar and his books on
reform Movements in Kerala and their impact on
socio-economic and religious life of the people
have made a mark in academic circles.
Thirumeni’s quietness and meditative lifestyle is
worth emulating. Thirumeni is a visionary and
engaging administrator; he has brought in many
significant changes in the Diocese of North
America and Europe. Let us thank God for his
vision and mission.
Euyakim Mar Coorilos
18
Rt. Rev. Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilos Episcopa
(Rev. Euyakim I. Cheeran) was born on Nov. 25,
1951 at Kumnamkulam to Cheeranveettil Itty
Mani Ittyachenkunju and Saramma. After
completing his bachelor’s degree from Sacred
Heart College, Thevara, Cochin and master’s
degree in science from Christ College,
Iringalakuda, Trissur, Thirumeni joined Mar
Thoma Theological Seminary at Kottayam for
theological education. After completing his
theological studies, Thirumeni was ordained as a
Deacon on April 29, 1978 and as a Kassissa on
May 16, 1978. Later he served as priest at Mar
Thoma parishes at Jalahali, Kottayam Jerusalem,
Palarivattom, Mumbai - Colaba, Staten Island,
NY, Grater Washington, Philadelphia Bethel,
Baltimore and Florida. On November 4, 1989, he
was ordained as a Ramban and on December 9,
1989, he was consecrated as Episcopa. Thirumeni
served as diocesan Episcopa at Adoor-Mavelikara
Diocese (1990-1997), Ranni-Nilackel Diocese
(1997-2001) and also at Diocese of North America
& Europe (2001-2008), Kottayam –Kochi Diocese
(2008-2011) and as Sahaya Methran at Nirnam-
Maramon Diocese (2012-2013). Presently
Thirumeni is serving as Diocesan Episcopa of the
newly formed Kottarakkara-Punlur Diocese (13th
Diocese of the Mar Thoma Church) since
December 2013. He has served as the president of
Mar Thoma Sunday School Samajam, Chairman
of the Vaideeka Selection Committee, manager of
Mar Thoma Schools Board. Thirumeni was also
the first President of the ‘Dayara and Sanyaasini
Samooham’ of the Mar Thoma Church. Let us
pray that God will continue to bless Thirumeni for
His work in healing this wounded world.
‘Pillars of Ecumenical Unity &
Harmony’ Swami Sachidananda Bharathi
Introduction
Christian faith is the faith in the active living
presence of God and His Christ in human history
and in our individual lives to lead us to our final
destiny in God’s plan. It shines forth in the face of
adversity. It gives us strength to face and
overcome the trials and tribulations of life in this
world. This is the beauty and power of
Christianity. Christians are called to be at their
best when the world is at its worst.
Unfortunately, Christianity today seems to have
lost much of its spiritual vitality and moral
strength. The Gospel of Christ is a Gospel of love
and peace. But the conflicts and contradictions
within and among the various denominational
Churches in the world today are great scandals for
Christ and Christianity.
The Church of Lord Jesus Christ has to urgently
undergo a spiritual revitalization and moral
regeneration. However, in order to respond
effectively to this call of the Holy Spirit, the
different Christian Churches will have to let go of
many of their worldly pursuits. They will have to
become a spiritually united Universal Church of
Love and Peace built on the strong foundation of
an ecumenical spirituality of forgiveness and
19
reconciliation. This will demand a return to the
source and center of the Christian faith in the
Crucified and Risen Lord and in His forgiving,
enduring and self-sacrificing love that found its
perfection in His suffering and death on the cross.
This was the ‘Christu Marga’, the Way of Christ,
that was preached in India, the ancient land of
religions, by St. Thomas, the Apostle of Lord
Jesus Christ in 52 AD, much before Europe was
Christianized.
Our efforts should not be to create yet another
Church. We have already too many
denominational Churches in the world today. The
divisions and conflicts among them are hindering
the path, the truth and the life that our Lord
Jesus Christ presents to humanity. What is
urgently required in this era is not adding to the
‘hardware’ of Christianity but discovering a more
effective and fruitful ‘software’ for spiritual unity
and regeneration of Christianity.
The Universal Church that our Lord Jesus Christ
initiated on the ‘rock’ of Peter has survived the
trials and tribulations of history, and still
continues to be a living force in the world even in
this 21st century of its chequered history. The
power of the living Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit
of God, has ever been protecting and upholding
the Universal Church, in spite of the many failures
and inadequacies of the various denominational
Chruches and their members, for a specific
mission in this world. The new Pope, Pope
Francis, is calling the Christian Churches today to
return to their roots in the Risen Christ and His
Cross. Our aim should be to respond creatively to
this call of the Holy Spirit with all our heart, all
our mind, all our soul and all our strength.
The institutionalization of Christianity had begun
from the west with Rome as its epicenter after
Emperor Constantine made Christianity the
official religion of the Roman empire. But I do
believe that the spiritualization of Christianity has
to begin from the east with India as its epicentre.
Just as the institutionalization of Christianity had
begun from Rome, the most powerful civilization
of the first century, the spiritualization of
Christianity has to begin from St.Thomas
Christians in India
Indian Roots of Christianity
Contrary to historical facts, Christianity in India is
still being considered as a western religion
brought to this country by European Christian
Missionaries. The historical facts are that Lord
Jesus Christ and Christianity were born in west
Asia, and the Christian faith was first brought to
India not by western Christian missionaries but
by St. Thomas the Apostle, a direct disciple of
Lord Jesus Christ, in 52 AD, much before it was
established in Rome, and centuries before Europe
was converted to Christianity.
St. Thomas the Apostle was by far the most
courageous and intelligent disciple of Lord Jesus
Christ. While other disciples were afraid and were
gathered together behind locked doors after the
crucifixion and resurrection of Lord Jesus Christ,
Thomas had gone out into the city courageously.
Hence, when the Lord appeared to His disciples
who were gathered behind the locked doors,
Thomas was not there with them. The other
disciples told him about the Lord appearing to
them. But Thomas refused to believe them unless
he saw and touched the Divine Master himself.
The Lord granted him this privilege next time
when He appeared to His disciples eight days
later (Ref. Jn 20: 19-28). This personal encounter
with the Risen Christ made Apostle Thomas to
proclaim ‘My Lord and my God’, the strongest
ever proclamation of faith found in the four
Gospels. It also developed in him a deep personal
experience of the Risen Christ.
Apostle Thomas had travelled the farthest and
reached Kodungalloor in Kerala coast in 52 A D,
20
within two decades after the crucifixion and
resurrection of his Divine Master. He did not
preach Christianity in India or convert people to
the Christian religion. He had only preached the
‘Christu Marga’, the ‘Way’ of Christ, as the basis
of the Christian faith and invited people to accept
Christ’s ‘Way’ of forgiving, enduring and self-
sacrificing love and make it the basis of their life.
The Portuguese missionaries who reached India
in 15th century A D brought ‘Christianity’ to India
and began converting people to this Europeanized
colonial Christianity. Their first targets for
conversion were those who had accepted the
‘Christu Marga’ from St. Thomas the Apostle.
The disciples of Christ in India today are called to
rediscover the ‘Indian roots’ of the Christian faith
brought to this ancient land of religions by St.
Thomas, the Apostle for India, and build truly
Christian and truly Indian Churches on the strong
foundation of an ecumenical spirituality of
harmony and peace. I have tried to present below
the four pillars of such a spirituality of ecumenical
harmony as I have developed them in my own
quest for harmony and peace in India.
Four Pillars of Ecumenical Unity &
Harmony
1. The first pillar of ecumenical unity &
harmony according to me will be the
vision of the ‘Kingdom of God’ .
“Seek first the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness, and all these things will also
be given to you.” (Mt 6:33)
‘Kingdom of God’ was the vision and mission
of our Lord Jesus Christ. He wanted us to love
one another as He had loved us (Jn 15:12,13).
He prayed for our unity (Jn 17:20,21). He gave
us His peace (Jn 14:27) and His joy (Jn 15:11).
He called us his disciples to build the
Kingdom of God of love, unity, peace and joy
on earth through our own self-transformation.
He did not ask us to convert people to
‘Christianity’. But his call was for a conversion
of our hearts to God.
Promoting this Kingdom of God of love, unity,
peace and joy on earth without religious
conversion and cultural alienation is the
spiritual mission that we the disciples of Lord
Jesus Christ in the world are called to
undertake in the 21st century.
The mission and message of Lord Jesus Christ
were centered on the vision of the Kingdom of
God. The term ‘Kingdom of God’ appears
more than 125 times in the New Testament.
The Lord presented this vision to His disciples
and followers in many ways using many
parables in order to drive home this one truth.
The sum and substance of His mission and
message was the ‘Kingdom of God’. He also
presented Himself as ‘the way, the truth and
the life’ of this Kingdom of God (Jn 14:6).
The term ‘Kingdom of God’ represents a vision
of the highest experiential state of love, unity,
peace and joy beyond time and space
limitations. This is a vision shared by most
religious traditions of humankind, though
different religions use different terminologies
and imageries to represent this one ultimate
goal of human life.
In our Indian context we can refer to the
Kingdom of God as ‘Dharma Rajya’. The word
‘Dharma’ comes from the Sanskrit root ‘dhr’
meaning to hold together, to unite, to
integrate. ‘Dharma’ is that which holds
together, that which unites, that which
integrates. Love is the basis of such an abiding
unity and integration. Peace is its fruit. Where
there is love, unity and peace, there will exist
abiding joy. Hence, ‘Dharma’ can be seen as
21
an integral concept built on the corner stones
of love, unity, peace and joy. The term
‘Dharma Rajya’ implies a nation/world of
love, unity, peace and joy. It is also physical
expression on earth of the ‘Kingdom of God’
preached by Lord Jesus Christ. This is an
inclusive vision that can be shared by all
theistic religions.
2. The second pillar of ecumenical unity &
harmony will be the ‘Sermon on the
Mount’ (‘Christu Dharma’)
“Everyone then who hears these words of
mine and does them will be like a wise man
who built his house on the rock.” (Mt 7: 24)
The Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5, 6 & 7) is the
compendium of the teachings of Lord Jesus
Christ. Together these teachings of Christ can
be termed ‘Christu Dharma’. The ‘Christu
Dharma’ consists of universal spiritual
principles that can be applied and practiced by
anyone anywhere anytime.
The spiritual results and fruits experienced ay
those practicing the ‘Christu Dharma’ will
speak for themselves. Any one who follows the
Christu Dharma sincerely is sure to
experience the love, unity, peace and joy of the
spirit that Lord Jesus Christ offers to his
disciples.
Mahatma Gandhi used the Sermon on the
Mount (Christu Dharma) as an eternal source
of inspiration for himself. Swami Vivekananda
had declared that even without any religious
scriptures, the Sermon on the Mount in itself
would be sufficient enough to bring about a
spiritual regeneration of humankind.
3. The third pillar of ecumenical unity &
harmony is the ‘Way’ of Christ (‘Christu
Mrga’)to the Kingdom of God.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you
love one another: just as I have loved you,
you also are to love one another. By this all
people will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love for one another.” (Jn 13: 34,
35)
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you, so that you
may be sons of your Father who is in
heaven.” (Mt 5: 44, 45)
“This is my commandment, that you love one
another as I have loved you. Greater love has
no one than this, that someone lay down his
life for his friends.” ( Jn 15: 12, 13)
During the initial stages of the Kingdom of
God Movement that was started by Lord Jesus
Christ, His disciples were known as the
followers of the ‘Way’ (Acts 9:2). This was the
Way of forgiving, enduring and self-sacrificing
love.
The Way of forgiving, enduring and self-
sacrificing love taught and demonstrated to
the world by Lord Jesus Christ is the sure way
to the Kingdom of God. In fact, there is no
other way. However, the Christian love has to
extend to one’s enemies and should motivate
and empower one to lay down one’s life for his
/her friends. This calls for self-sacrifice of the
highest order. This was what our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself had demonstrated on the
cross. Rising above the agony of death, He
prayed for those who crucified Him, “Father,
22
forgive them, for they know not what they
do.” (Lk 23: 34)
There is no other way to reach the Kingdom of
God except through the path of love because
‘God is love’ (1 Jn 4:8). This Way of love was
preached in Kerala as the ‘Christu Marga’ by
St. Thomas the Apostle. The term ‘Christu
Marga’ means the Way of Christ. I have
termed this ‘Christu Marga’ as ‘Sahana Yoga’
from an Indian spiritual perspective. The
word ‘Sahana’ means to suffer, to bear. The
term ‘Yoga’ implies communion with God.
Sahana becomes a Yoga when accepted with
love. Sahana Yoga is the ‘forgiving, enduring
and self-sacrificing love’ that will lead us to
‘Dharma Rajya’. It can never be confined to
Christians and Christianity. It is a path of love
that will lead us to unity, peace and joy. It is
open and available to anyone anywhere
anytime. This is also the way to spiritualize
Christianity.
4. The fourth pillar of ecumencial unity &
harmony is the Peace of Christ
(‘Christu Shanti’) that the world cannot
give or take away from us.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to
you. Not as the world gives do I give you. Let
not your hearts be troubled, neither let them
be afraid.” (Jn 14. 27)
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent
me, even so I am sending you.” ( Jn 20. 21 )
“Blessed are the peace-makers, they shall be
called the children of God” ( Mt 5.9)
Peace of Christ liberates us from all tensions
and fears. It makes us children of God. We are
sent out as courageous peace-makers in a
peaceless world. A Christian with tensions and
fears cannot be a true disciple of Lord Jesus
Christ. ‘Don’t be afraid’ was the constant
reminder of the Lord to His disciples. A
peaceless Christian is a useless Christian.
Fearlessness and peacefulness are to be the
two most important visible characteristics of a
true disciple of Christ.
Forgiveness and reconciliation are
preconditions to grow in the Peace of Christ,
‘Christu Shanti’, and for establishing a culture
of peace in the world. Promoting forgiveness
and reconciliation within and among
individuals, families, communities, nations
and religions is the primary ministry of a
disciple of Christ in the modern world (2 Cor
5: 18,19). This is possible only when the
disciple is united to the Divine Master as a
branch to the vine (Jn 15:5).
We have developed a Inner Peace Meditation (
referred to as ‘Peace of Christ Meditation’) for
enabling people to experience inner peace
through the Christ-Spirit of forgiveness and
reconciliation. Many people from different
religious traditions have been initiated into
this meditation and their experiences are very
inspiring.
Experiential Initiatives
An ecumenical communion of love termed
‘Disciples of Christ for Peace’ (DCP) is founded
and registered by us to work for a culture of peace
in the world through ecumenical unity and
harmony, and without religious conversion and
cultural alienation. The four pillars of ecumenical
unity and harmony as outlined above are also the
four pillars the ecumenical communion of DCP.
DCP has been serving as the ‘salt of the earth and
light of the world’ for a number of experimental
23
initiatives promoted by us. Important among
these are:
1. ‘Peace and Value Education’ & Dharma
Bharathi National Institute
2. ‘Second Freedom Struggle of India’ &
Dharma Bharathi Mission
3. ‘Peace of Christ Movement’ & Dharma
Rajya Satsanghs
4. ‘Tyagarchana Shanti Mission’ & Dharma
Rajya Vedi
5. ‘Dharma Bharathi Ashram’ & Dharma
Bharathi Foundation
6. ‘Shantivanam’ with Navasrsuthi Ashram
7. ‘Eco-Spiritual Tourism’ & Navasrushti
Eco-Spiritual Tourism Society
8. ‘Dharma Bharathi School of Forgiveness &
Reconciliation’ for training members of
DCP
All these initatives function under the legal
ownership and moral guidance of Navasrushti
International Trust which was founded and
registered by us in 2005.
Conclusion
It is time for us the disciples of Christ in the
world to liberate ourselves from divisive
‘Churchianity’ and make our unique contribution
towards spiritual unity and regeneration of
Christianity, and towards building a great new
world of peace, prosperity and happiness. In
order to fulfill this historic mission, we will need
an ecumenical spirituality of unity, harmony and
peace built on the four pillars as indicated above.
In, with and through a spiritually united and
regenerated Christianity, we will be able to build a
culture of peace and sustainable development on
earth which will lead humanity towards realizing
the vision of the Kingdom of God, Dharma Rajya,
on earth.
Swami Sachidananda Bharathi
Swami Sachidananda Bharathi is a former
atheist Indian Air Force Squadron Leader turned
disciple of Lord Jesus Christ after an encounter
with death in an air accident in 1982. He was
born and brought up in a conservative Syrian
Catholic family background in central Kerala.
Squadron Leader N V John was initiated into
spiritual life in 1984 with the name ‘John
Sachidanand’. He received ‘Acharya diksha’ in
1990. Acharya John Sachidanand enterned into
‘Sanyasa’ in 2001. In 2003 he initiated the
‘Bharathi’ Chaturashrama Sanyasa Parampara
and took the name ‘Swami Sachidananda
Bharathi. He is also known as ‘Air Force Baba’.
He has lived-life experiences of the truth,
goodness and beauty of four religions:
Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism.
Swami Sachidananda Bharathi has travelled
widely and has authored a number of books. He
was one of the pre-eminent spiritual leaders who
represented India in the ‘Millennium World
Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders’
organized by the United Nations at New York in
August 2000. He is also the Founder and
Acharya-guru of ‘Disciples of Christ for Peace’
(DCP), School of Forgiveness and Reconciliation’
(SoFaR), ‘Dharma Bharathi Mission’ (DBM),
‘Dharma Rajya Vedi’ (DRV) and a number of
other organizations and institutions.
Swamiji now lives in ‘Navasrushti Ashram’,
Shantivanam, near Nagpur. He is involved in a
ministry of forgiveness and reconciliation in
India, especially among disciples of Lord Jesus
Christ and members of the RSS.
E-mail: swamisachidananda@gmail.com &
Mobile – 09947992746 / 07709796805
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Episcopal Ministry- A
Sacramental Representation
of Jesus Christ Revd Eapen Abraham*
J. Dwight in his book ‘Designed to be like Him’
shares a beautiful story. “Late one night a
salesman drove into a strange city and tried to get
a room in a hotel. The clerk informed him that
there was no vacancy. Disappointed, he started to
leave the lobby when a dignified gentleman
offered to share his room with him. Gratefully the
traveller accepted his kindness.
Just before retiring, the man who had shown such
hospitality knelt and prayed aloud. In his petition
he referred to the stranger by name and asked the
Lord to bless him. Upon awakening the next
morning, he told his guest it was his habit to read
the Bible and commune with God at the beginning
of each day, and he asked if he would like to join
him. The Holy Spirit had been speaking to the
heart of this salesman, and when his host tactfully
confronted him with the claims of Christ, he
gladly received the Savior.
As the two were ready to part, they exchanged
business cards. The new believer was amazed to
read, “William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of
State.”William Jennings Bryan was not only the
Secretary of State under Woodrow Wilson, but
more importantly he was an ambassador for
Christ.
Representing Christ in all the walks of life is a
responsibility entrusted to all those who have
taken up this vocation. On this occasion when our
beloved Thirumenis celebrate their Episcopal
Silver Jubilee I am greatly indebted to write this
meditation. I believe all our Thirumenis have
lived up to their calling and we are proud to be
part of the Church under their able leadership.
Etymology of the Word ‘Episcopa’
The word episkopos was first used in Greek
literature for one who kept a watch over a country
or a people or even a treaty or an agreement.
Later on it became the title for the official who
was sent from Athens, the capital of Greek
Empire, to its dependent states. The word was
used in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the
Old Testament, for overseers, officers and
governors (2Chr 24, 11; Neh 11, 9; 12, 42). The
verb episkeptomai was used for God’s “loving
supervision and solicitous care for the land of
Israel” in Deut. 11:12.
When we look in the New Testament we observe
that the term episkopos is used five times:
a. 1 Peter 2:25 describes Jesus Christ as the
“guardian” (episkopos) of the souls of the
believers along with his role as their
“shepherd” (poimen). The two roles of
Christ (episcopos and poimen) are
ascribed to the elders of Ephesus in Paul’s
speech to them in the Acts 20:28. This has
an Old Testament background also – when
Joshua was elected Moses prayed to God
to give Israel a “leader” and “shepherd”.
b. In the opening sentence of Paul’s Epistle
to the Philippians he addresses the
“bishops” (episcopoi) along with the
“deacons” (diakonoi).
25
c. In 1 Timothy 3:1 we read about the
qualities of an episcopos of the early
Church, which include sensibility, dignity,
hospitality, scholarship, gentle behaviour,
management skills etc.
d. In his letter to Titus St. Paul says that “a
bishop (episcopos), is God’s steward” and
he must be “blameless, hospitable, lover of
goodness, master of himself, upright, holy
and self-controlled” and he must not be
arrogant, quick-tempered, violent,
drunkard or greedy (Titus 1:7-8). He must
“hold firm to the sure word as taught, so
that he may be able to give instruction in
sound doctrine and also to confute those
who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).
All these mentioned above are administrative
duties. But it should be borne in our minds that
the administrative duties can also become a
hindrance for their study and meditation. Some
bishops are exhausted by attending committees
after committees. Therefore the Church as a
whole has to rethink about the rank as well as
functions of an episcopos. He is different from a
priest and a deacon not simply in the vestments
but in his identity. This should be widely
understood and respected. Once the whole
Church acknowledge not only their apostolic
succession but also their apostolic authority
things will be different. Let each one do his own
duty; the priests should perform all parish duties
and the committees should fulfil their
responsibilities. Bishops may stand at the top as
Jesus Christ is the head of the Church.
Participation in the Priestly Ministry of
Christ
The priesthood of Jesus Christ is expressed as the
perfect priesthood and his priesthood is eternal.
Christ is the touchstone by which the Episcopa
measures both his attitudes and his behavior. The
threefold office of Christ gives content and
definition to the kind of the ministry the Episcopa
is to offer to the people of God.
Episcopal life is a participation in the priesthood
of Jesus Christ. This is the basis for the identity of
an Episcopa. An Episcopa is a living image of
Christ the Priest. The essential feature of the
priesthood of Christ is revealed in his redemptive
self-giving and self-sacrifice. In this sense,
Episcopa is called to prolong the presence of
Christ, the One High Priest, embodying His way
of life and making Him visible in the midst of the
people entrusted to his care. In this way, the
Episcopa becomes a sacramental representation
of Jesus Christ, the Shepherd.
Through the administration of the Sacraments an
Episcopa is entrusted to encourage his people to
deepen their love for Christ the Good Shepherd,
pattern their hearts on His, and be ready to go out
as His image into the highways of the world to
proclaim to humankind that Christ is the way, the
Truth and the life. The Episcopa, who is called to
be a “living image” of Jesus Christ, is asked to
reflect in himself, as far as possible the human
perfection which shines forth in the incarnate Son
of God.
Participation in the Priestly Life of Christ
The priesthood of Jesus is not mere ritual
sacrifice, but the offering of His entire life to God.
The priestly and kenotic dynamism so
characteristic of Jesus’ own life is at the very core
of the Christian identity. A call to the Episcopacy
is a call to continue Christ’s priestly life which
reached its culmination in his sacrifice on Calvary.
26
The special relation of an Episcopa to Christ bases
itself on the particular grace that he receives on
the day of his ordination to the priesthood. This
grace moulds the very being of the newly ordained
bishop. The unifying criterion of the life of the
priest, who is configured to Christ, Head and
Shepherd should be the love of Jesus to the flock.
Like Jesus, the bishop should seek to let the Holy
Spirit create with him “a shepherd’s heart.” His
love for Christ should lead him to love the flock as
Christ Himself loved it, dedicating Himself
completely to it through his daily self-offering.
A concrete way of life evolving from this is the life
of obedience, chastity and poverty, the self-
expressions of the total self-emptying of Christ.
The life of a bishop should provide his flocks the
possibility of re-living the experiences of
formation which our Lord provided for the Twelve
– a sharing of life with Jesus. This formation
should lead his people to be active members for
the building up of the church in union with
suffering Christ and with the other brothers and
sisters in the church who are “sharing in the
Lord’s passion.” It is a re-living of the Pauline
experience that “I complete what is lacking in
Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, that is,
the church. (Col.1:24).”
Participation in the Solicitude of Christ
Jesus came to reveal to the world the parenthood
of God who invites human beings “as His
children, to share His own divine life.” The
bishops are led by Christ into the service of God
the Father and of all people. The meetings with
the fatherly love of God by their life of prayer and
contemplation, bishops help the people to give
themselves to others.
The fundamental relationship of the bishops is
with Christ. Intimately linked with this
relationship to Christ is his relationship to the
Church. His relationship to the Church finds its
source and inspiration in his relationship to
Christ. In fact the two are so closely and
intrinsically related that the bishop’s relationship
to the Church is inscribed in his relationship to
Christ. In the Church and on behalf of the Church,
bishops are a sacramental representation of Jesus
Christ, showing his loving concern to the point of
a total gift of self for the flock. The bishop thus is
“a visible continuation and sacramental sign of
Christ in his own position before the Church and
the world”.
Conclusion
All the bishops of today and of tomorrow must
resemble Christ. They should imitate the sinless,
humble, self-sacrificing, poor, obedient,
affectionate, available, co-operative and
understanding life of Christ. They should be living
transparent images of Christ the Shepherd.
There can be no higher goal. There can be no
higher ambition. There can be no higher purpose
than to live Jesus Christ so that people may know
the Father. The activity of the Episcopa as taking
the place of Christ and instrument of Christ will
be more perfect and influential, when he depends
and conforms himself more to Christ the Good
Shepherd.
May the Lord bless our beloved Tirumenis to live
out and be true representative of the Master who
has entrusted this great vocation.
Revd Eapen Abraham was previously the vicar
of St. Johns Mar Thoma Church, Hounslow,
London. Achen is now serving as the vicar of St.
Thomas Mar Thoma Church, Karol Bagh, New
Delhi.
27
History
The Origins of the Mar
Thoma Church in London:
The Early History (1957-
1960). Mrs. Sunita Andrew, Tabore MTC, Manchester
Mr O.V. Alexander was appointed as the General
Secretary of the Indian YMCA and Hostel,
London in 1957. It was a small, happy and excited
group which set sail for England from India in
April of that year. Accompanying Mr and Mrs
O.V. Alexander and their three children were, Mrs
MG Abraham (Sushilla), Mrs CM Mathews
(Ponnama), and Miss Molly Thariyan. After 3
weeks of sailing on the SS Carthage they landed at
Genoa and after an overland trip by train arrived
in Dover. The almost month long journey had
been full of fun, laughter and camaraderie. On
arrival in London, Sushilla and Ponnama were
welcomed by their husbands who had come there
for higher studies. Every one went their separate
ways to live in different parts of London and
joined the local churches.
Within a short time of his arrival in England Mr
Alexander had the good fortune to meet Rev. V.V.
Alexander from the Mar Thoma church who had
come to England to study counselling and
psychiatry. He was staying on, in order to gain
some practical experience in his field. God has His
plans and we can see in hindsight the mysterious
ways God brings people together for His Glory.
And so it was that when the need was felt to have
a Mar Thoma service there was an Achen at hand.
There were several other cousins of the
Alexanders already in residence in London.
Among them were Dr Verghese Chacko,
Mr Verghese Kovoor, Mr TK Chacko
and some good friends. So there was a nucleus of
families that wanted to attend a Malayalam
service. Everyone tried to meet as often as time
permitted, which was not too often. The ladies
especially missed the close bonds that had formed
over the weeks of travel from India and were
happy at the prospect of coming to church service
and meeting with fellow Malayalis. Once the
possibility of having a Mar Thoma service in
London was mooted, letters were sent to the
Thirumeni seeking his approval and permission.
Rev V.V. Alexander was requested to conduct the
Mar Thomas service once a month.
As General Secretary of the Indian YMCA at
Fitzroy Square, London, Mr. O.V. Alexander was
given quarters on the uppermost (third) floor of
the YMCA building. There was a large terrace
attached to the flat and a small prayer room was
situated adjacent to the apartment. The doors of
the prayer room were kept open round the clock
to enable people to worship any time they wished.
There was no furniture in the room but there was
wall-to-wall carpeting, which gave a chance for
worshippers to sit on the floor and meditate in
true Indian fashion. There was no cross or altar in
the room. Mr. Alexander offered the use of this
room. It was in this prayer room that the first Mar
Thoma service was held.
Service began to be held at regular intervals.
Soon, word of the Mar Thoma service spread far
and wide and a handful of people gathered there
28
for the Sunday service. Prayer books were
procured from India in due course of time and
any Malayali who was passing through London
was welcome to join the Service. So we sometimes
had persons from the Orthodox and CSI church
attending the service. Even worshippers who lived
in remote places away from London would
occasionally take the long journey to participate
in the Mar Thoma service. The congregation
also comprised of students who had come to study
at various universities, and two or three married
couples who were working as doctors in nearby
hospitals.
More than anything else Sunday service at the
YMCA was a place where you met and reinforced
bonds which made living in England less strange
and lonely. Church service was followed by cups
of hot coffee, cakes and biscuits lovingly passed
around by Mrs Anna Alexander. It was a time of
talking, laughing and sharing your experience in a
strange land.
Mr. O.V. Alexander returned to India in January
1960. However, the seed that was planted there
during Mr. Alexander's tenure and through his
initiative, continued to grow from strength to
strength and we praise the Lord for that.
* This information was provided by Mrs. Sowmini
Thomas of Kochi, Kerala, and Mrs. Mary
Abraham of Bangalore
(marykabraham@gmail.com), daughters of Mr.
O.V. Alexander, who at the time lived in London
with their parents.
News
The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian
Church
Sabha Directory-2015-
Released The Fourth edition of the Malankara Mar Thoma
Sabha Directory published by the Mar Thoma
Syrian Church in 2015 provides an encyclopedic
knowledge of the mission and ministry of the
Church in its contemporary contexts. It is a very
humble attempt undertaken under the patronage
of the Sabha Council, the supreme administrative
body of the Church and gives up-to-date valid
information about its origin tracing to its historic
legacy and tradition back to A.D.52 when the
apostle St. Thomas set his feet on the soil of
Malabar.
As the Mar Thoma Syrian Church is a reformed
Church in the Eastern Tradition, an attempt
has been made to “preserving the timeless while
adapting to the Times”. According to the late
Metropolitan, Dr. Juhanon Mar Thoma, the
heritage of the Church is to be understood and
handed down to the future generation as of
“apostolic in origin, universal in nature, biblical in
faith, evangelical in principle, ecumenical in
outlook, oriental in worship, democratic in
function and Episcopal in character”. In the
general articles and the statistical data given in
the Directory, the identity of the Church has been
made known by stating that the Mar Thoma
Church today in its diasporic calling is a “strange
combination of Catholicism and Protestantism, of
conservatism and radicalism, of traditionalism in
29
worship and revivalism in preaching”. The
ecclesial mission of the Church tries its best to
comprehend both the Orthodox tradition and the
Protestant message. The hallmark of the Directory
lies in its biblical theological, historical and
ecumenical perspectives preserved and
communicated to the future community of the
Faithful through the biographical sketches of the
Metropolitans till the 21st Mar Thoma, His Grace,
Dr.Joseph Mar Thoma, bishops and laity. The
calling of the Church to recover the ecumenical
roots of our beginnings and to appropriate the
ecumenical opportunities that are available to the
Church through a committed and critical
participation of the Church today has been well
stated in the Chapter under the title, The
Ecumenical Relations (Chapter V). The
Directory gives a blue print of the Ecumenical
legacy of the Mar Thoma Syrian Church
particularly of its relationship with the SEE of
Antioch. The arrival of Mar Gregorios of
Jerusalem to the Malankara was a divine
provision to keep alive the Episcopal lineage of
the Church and the consecration of Mar Thoma I
in the year 1665 was indeed a milestone in the
history of the Syrian Church here. The inclusion
of the photograph of His Holiness Moran Mar
Ignatius Aprem II, the patriarch of Antioch, in
the Directory with due reverence is a clear
indication of the Ecumenical legacy bequeathed
to the Mar Thoma Syrian church from Antioch.
In its preface of the fourth edition of the
Directory, His Grace the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph
Mar Thoma Metropolitan has well stated the
unique vision and mission of the Mar Thoma
Church in its local and universal involvements.
The Metropolitan gives credit to the fraternal
relationship between the Malankara and the
Persian Churches. But His Grace has regretfully
stated the disastrous consequences of the
conquest model of the Portuguese and the Dutch
presence in the 16th C. and how the identity of the
Malankara Church was kept alive through its
Apostolic Succession by divine grace.
The articles included in the Directory both in
Malayalam and English give us a bird’s eye view
of the historical heritage of the Church and it’s
shepherding under the Metropolitans, bishops
and Clergy, the deepening of its mission through
the institutional and parish witness in its local
and Diaspora contexts. The global ministry of the
Church through its diocesan polity under the care
of 13 bishops, 1050 clergymen, 1225 parishes and
a team of evangelists under various institutions of
the Church carry on the vibrant missionary calling
of the Church. An attempt has been made to give
brief reports about the parishes under each
diocese. The hallmark of such a report is to
highlight the witness of the parish under the
clergy and the laity of the Church in its local
contexts. The articles on the Diaspora parishes
given in the Directory is only a brief sketch of
their universal and local calling so as to mark
their allegiance to the Church headquarters at
Tiruvalla. The photo album of the clergy and laity
in the Directory is only an attempt to pay
Church’s humble tributes to their pioneering
efforts in the annuals of the Church. An attempt
has been made to up-date the list of clergymen
who served the Church over the years.
The Directory is the combined effort of a
dedicated team under the Chairmanship of
Rt.Rev.Joseph Mar Barnabas Episcopa. Very
Rev.George Zachariah served as the convener of
the Directory Committee. Very Rev.P.T.Thomas,
the former Sabha Secretary and Rev.Oommen
Philip, the present Sabha Secretary, the other
office bearers at different periods and quite a few
staff members of the Sabha Office have rendered
30
valuable services in promoting the cause. There
are quite a few others who have given their time
and talents are duly recognized in the
“Mukamozhi” of the Convener. The Committee
is greatly indebted to Rev. Abraham Varghese,
Director, Church Animation Centre, Tirumala for
his skilful compilation of the materials under the
D.T.P.Technology so as to bring it out at the time
of the 120th Maramon Convention. It is indeed
remarkable that Most Rev.Dr.Joseph Mar Thoma
Metropolitan had handed over a complimentary
copy of the Directory to the Partriarch of Antioch
for its release on February 13, 2015 at the
Marmon Convention. The printing work was
undertaken under the care of T.A.M. Press,
Tiruvalla. Rev.Dr.M.J.Joseph and
Rev.Dr. Mathew Daniel served as the Chief Editor
and Associate editor respectively.
Thanks are due to all those who have given
advertisements to the Directory whose financial
support was indeed great. Needless to say, parish
priests and others have rendered great service to
the completion of the Directory project.
Our feeble literary effort in this Digital era to
bring out a Church Directory is only to light a
candle for the Future generation in keeping
alive the motto of the Church “Lighted to
Lighten”.
Copies of the Directory are available at the
Sabha Office (0469-2630449), and the Mar
Thoma Book Depot (0469-2634235).Price:
Single copy Rupees 1000.00& postage
extra.
For the Directory Committee
Rev. Dr. M. J. Joseph, Chief Editor
New report is wake up call
for rural mission
The Arthur Rank Centre strongly supports the
research report ‘Released for Mission’ published
by the Church of England today. “It is absolutely
essential that the Church of England implements
the recommendations in ‘Released for Mission’
said Arthur Rank Centre CEO Jerry Marshall.
“The next decade is a make or break time for
continuing rural ministry. Thankfully some rural
dioceses are already moving in the right
direction.”
The report points to the importance of the rural
church (two-thirds of parishes) and to many areas
of success, particularly around Fresh Expressions
and Messy Church. A statistical analysis indicates
that there is no clear link between growth and the
number of parishes in a multi-church group; but
lay leadership and an intentional focus on mission
are crucial.
Priorities identified by the report include:
Building a culture of discipleship
Envisioning, enabling and equipping the
ministry of lay people
Effective training for lay and clergy for the
complexity of leading multiple churches
Simplification of governance and legal
structures
Facilitating creative ecumenical
partnerships.
The report outlines findings from a major
research project led by Canon Dr Jill Hopkinson,
the National Rural Officer for the Church of
England.
31
“Rural churches of all denominations are not
always aware that they can and do engage in
mission,” said Revd Elizabeth Clark, National
Rural Officer for the Methodist Church and the
United Reformed Church. This report highlights
what is happening whilst at the same time
pointing out the challenges that exist, particularly
for Anglican Churches. Many Methodist and URC
Churches face similar constraints. My hope is that
we will look for ways of tackling these obstacles
together since ecumenism is a mission
imperative.”
The National Rural Officers are based at the
Arthur Rank Centre, the churches’ resource for
rural mission and ministry. “We provide training
and resources in leadership and mission, for both
lay and ordained, across denominations,” said
Jerry Marshall. “But much more needs to be
done. We especially urge national leadership
structures to find ways to reduce the burden of
local governance and to support the creation of
staff posts that address administration, finance,
and facilities management, to release time and
energy for mission.
Brutal murder of Coptic
Christians in Libya Statement by His Grace Bishop Angaelos,
General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox
Church in the United Kingdom following
the brutal murder of Coptic Christians in
Libya
15 February 2015
It is with deep feelings of sorrow
and pain that we received
confirmation earlier this evening of
the brutal murder of Coptic
Christians in Libya at the hands of Daesh (IS).
While every life is sacred and every death tragic,
the particular brutality demonstrated in this
instance and others like it shows not only a
disregard for life but a gross misunderstanding of
its sanctity and equal value in every person.
Our prayers are particularly with the families of
these young Coptic men, who were fathers,
brothers, sons and friends of many within their
tight-knit rural communities, in which their
absence will cause significant loss and sorrow.
Their families are not only deprived of
breadwinners who had travelled to Libya to
support them, but of the joy that they bring when
they return.
While it may seem illogical or incomprehensible,
we also pray for those who have carried out these
horrific crimes, that the value of God's creation
and human life may become more evident to
them, and in this realisation, that the wider
effects of pain brought by this and other acts of
brutality may be realised and avoided. We pray
for an end to the dehumanisation of captives who
become mere commodities to be bartered, traded
and negotiated with.
32
We cannot remember our Coptic brothers without
also remembering all those who have lost their
lives in equally brutal circumstances: journalists,
aid workers, medical staff, religious leaders, a
young pilot and communities that are considered
incompatible with a fringe and intolerant
element.
In the midst of this sorrow however, we must
continue to dig deeper for the joy that comes from
an understanding that this life is but a "vapour
that appears for a little time and then vanishes
away" (James 4:14), and that true glory and joy
are found in an eternal life prepared for all those
who live in and for love and peace.
It is only through this understanding that we can
continue to live according to the words of 1 Peter
3:15 as demonstrated in the life and witness of the
Coptic Church and her children over centuries,
"...always be ready to give a defense to everyone
who asks you a reason for the hope that is in
you..."
News interviews with His Grace regarding the
brutal murder of Coptic Christians in Libya:
BBC World TV Interview
BBC World Service Radio Interview
More can be found via
www.Youtube.com/CopticMediaUK
ASHA BHAVAN MAR THOMA CARE CENTRE
Introduction
The primary duty of all human beings is to strive
to make this world a better place for all of God’s
creation. Engrossed in and captivated by the
rapidly developing modern technology and
changing life styles we are seen to fail in this duty.
We tend to forget that the future generations also
have the right to inherit this world in all its beauty
and purity as God Almighty created it. In our mad
rush to garner all material comforts and
modernism, human values and relationships are
put on the back burner and selflessness is seen to
selfishness.
It is in the light of this present global scenario,
that Asha Bhavan has taken up the challenge of
equipping the under privileged and physically
challenged children to enter the main stream of
society giving a new meaning to their lives and
making them good citizens of our country.
Now another year of life at Asha Bhavan has
passed on with all its sweet memories and bitter
experiences. We praise God for all His blessings—
often beyond our expectations. His guiding hands
has brought us through the darkest shadows and
kept us from falling. With a million thanks to God
Almighty for all His abundant blessings we
present this report of Asha Bhavan Mar Thoma
Care Centre of the year 2013-2014.
History
In 1981, when the International Handicap Year
was observed, a historic decision was taken in the
Edathara Convention (Konni-Pathanapuram
centre convention at Edathara) to put up the
Marthoma Care Centre in order to rehabilitate
Breaking News
We thank God for the news that
the Mar Thoma community in
England is forming two new
congregations, one in Canterbury
and another in Cardiff. More
information will be provided in the
July edition.
33
the physically challenged and to provide job
oriented training for such men and women. As
per the decision the Care Center was started in a
rented building. As part of it, in 1984 the Care
Centre purchased a piece of beautiful land at
Pidavoor, near Pathanapuram, under the great
leadership of Rt. Rev. Dr. Zacharias Mar
Theophilus Suffragan Metropolitan. After taking
six long years for its construction, in 1990, Rt.
Rev. Dr. Euyakim Mar Coorilose kindled the light
for a new dimension and the training centre has
now become a hostel for the physically challenged
children, re named as ‘Asha Bhavan Mar Thoma
Care Centre’. From that time onwards, Asha
Bhavan has been working with the sole aim of
taking the physically challenged towards the
mainstream of society. We are satisfied with the
fact that we were able to promote nearly 420
physically challenged children to forefront of
various spheres of society within the two decades
of its existence.
At this reporting year, 72 differently abled children
from Kerala and other states stayed at Asha Bhavan
and had their education. Children from the age
of 5 from poor economic background are being
admitted to the institution irrespective of religion,
caste and creed. Asha Bhavan includes children
from 2nd std to M.Com 1st year ( 5 students).
We provide boarding, food, education and health
care (including physiotherapy) free of cost,
and 20 staff are sincerely committed to their
service and treatment. Asha Bhavan, which was
initiated under the ceaseless grace of God
with lot of limitations, has now successfully
completed 30 years of its excellence.
Management
Asha Bhavan is managed by the Adoor Diocese of
the MarThoma Syrian Church under the able
leadership of the Diocesan Bishop, Rt. Rev.
Joseph Mar Barnabas Episcopa. The Local
Advisory Committee under the leadership of the
Diocesan Bishop gives advises suggestions and
encouragement. The LAC consists of Vice
President, Director, Treasurer, MDS Secretary,
Diocesan Secretary, Diocesan Treasurer and the
members from the churches of Pathanapuram
Centre nominated by the President.
Important Celebrations
Asha Bhavan family celebrates all the celebrations
like Independence Day, Onam, Deepavali,
Christmas and Republic Day.
Excursion
Every year the children, the staff and the
volunteers go for excursion. In 2014, we went to
Hyderabad. The trip was really a joyful occasion
which included the participation of all children of
Asha Bhavan.
Spiritual Enrichment
As part of their routine, the children of Asha
Bhavan conduct worship services both at dawn
and at dusk, which is made meaningful and
melodious by the Asha Bhavan choir. On some of
the Sundays children are invited by various
churches to participate in worship services, and
on the remaining Sundays, they participate in the
worship service of Pidavoor Bethel church and
the Sunday school thereafter.
Education
The children of Asha Bhavan get their education
from the following schools, colleges and other
institutions: Pathanapuram St. Stephen’s, college,
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Institute of Commerce, St. Stephen’s Higher
Secondary School, St. Stephen’s High School,
Mount Tabor High School and L.P.S and the
Datatech Computer Centre. Mr. Sajaya Kumar, a
member of Asha Bhavan passed Masters of Fine
Arts (M.F.A.) with second class from
Thripunithura R.L.V. Arts College. Mr. Sajaya
Kumar came over here at Asha Bhavan at the age
of six. He does not have both the hands by birth.
He passed +2 (he wrote the exams by leg) with 2nd
class. Since he is talented in drawing and painting
the Center sent him for B.F.A. and after that he
completed M.F.A too. Now he is at Asha Bhavan
waiting for a job.
Physiotherapy
With the aim of sustaining their physical health,
the children are being provided with
physiotherapy as part of their routine under the
guidance of Mr. Prafulla Kumar. An O.P.
department is being functioned for those with
financial crisis.
Agriculture and Related Activities
Vegetable farming, gardening, rabbit rearing,
soap and lotion production and other farming
activities are being done here for the physical and
mental nourishment of the children.
Source of Income
The Mar Thoma Churches within India and
abroad, Church members, well-wishers from
various religions and caste sectors and
different organizations have kind-heartedly
sponsored our children. In addition, various
endowments are established by different
individuals and organizations.
One of our urgent needs is the rehabilitation of
the students who are not able to go back to home.
Rehabilitation and the Future Program.
Most of the students have single parent (only
mothers) and are labourers. They are living in
poverty, and some of them do not have their own
houses. In this situation we are planning to
rehabilitate them. And also planning to establish
an insurance scheme for the present students.
We are called and separated as a Church not only
to receive God’s grace and care, but also to impart
it to the entire society. Asha Bhavan is the result
of our Church’s attempt not to be defeated by
desperate circumstances, but to mould the
differently abled by equipping them to face
courageously the various difficult situations and
to overcome boldly the experience by kindling the
light of hope and optimism in them. Let us all
participate in this endeavor of enriching the
challenged, strengthening the weak, encouraging
the feeble, realizing their assets and equipping
them to stand in the frontline of society.
Rev. James Thomas
Director
33rd Mar Thoma Family Conference
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33rd
Mar Thoma Family Conference – UK & Europe 2015
Theme: Whose Image do we reflect? Christ versus the ‘gods’ of our life! Worship the Lord your God and serve him only. Luke 4:8
Date: August 21 to 23, 2015 Location: Yarnfield Park Conference Centre
Stone, Staffordshire ST15 0NL
Our Leaders
Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius Episcopa is in charge of the North America & Europe Diocese. Our beloved Thirumeni, our shepherd graces us with his spiritual leadership.
Jose Philip is Regional Director (APAC), with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. He gave up a cushy corporate job to ‘delight’ in the Lord. An itinerant bi-lingual speaker, he is at his best in Q&As and discussions with the youth.
Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Mar Theethos Episcopa is in charge of the Mumbai Diocese. A witty, popular multi-lingual speaker and a deeply spiritual man of God. He will lead the adult sessions.
Logo designed by Rev. Jose Punamadam
Host: St. John’s Mar Thoma Church London. UK
Vicar: Rev. Jose Punamadam
Convenor: C. Isaac George
Registration queries to Ajit Thomas & Dr. Gina Thomas
registration@stjohnsmtc.org.uk http://www.stjohnsmtc.org.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/mtceuropefamilyconference2015
The Family Conference team have been active in promoting the conference among the various parishes & congregations in UK & Europe. The team has already visited 5 churches and intends to complete visiting all the parishes & congregations including Germany & Switzerland by the end of May 2015. The conference centre can host up to 600 delegates. The registration for the conference will close on the 30th of June, 2015. Please keep the conference in your prayers, especially our leaders and pray for all who will attend the conference.
Officially launching the Registration. Jose Achen hands over the first form to senior most member of St. John’s MTC, Mr. T.C. George
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Go out into Eastville and
preach the good news
The word missionary often brings to mind the
image of someone who has moved to a different
country to spread the Gospel. While it does
include this, in truth we are all missionaries
wherever God has placed us. Reaching out to our
local communities is on the agenda of our Mar
Thoma mission strategy, among projects in India,
Mexico etc. On Friday 6th and Saturday 7th March
2015, St Thomas Mar Thoma church in Bristol
was involved in the neighbourhood mission of our
local area of Eastville. The programme was a joint
effort between our parish and St Anne’s, our
partner church.
The two day event was split into, first, an evening
of equipping the church to be mission-focused,
and then the actual reaching out and inviting
them in. All this was preceded by several weeks
worth of prayer, prayer walks and raising
awareness locally of the upcoming events.
Friday night was a challenge to the Church
presented by Reverend Johnny Douglas, an
Imagine Associate at the London Institute for
Contemporary Christianity. Revd Douglas spoke
on the theme of ‘Not a fortress Church, but a
missionary people’. His talk was down to earth
and it was evident that he was preaching what he
himself was living; moving out of his comfort zone
to reach out to those around him. How true his
message that every action of ours is done either
out of fear or out of love. In fear we group
ourselves in our fortress Church but with Christ’s
love in us we can step out to be a missionary
people. And each one of us called by Him is being
used continuously in multiple ways as links in a
chain of events, which we can’t always see, to
bring people to Him. Are we ready for this life of
adventure? God has promised us His power to be
His witnesses in pointing others to Jesus.
While Saturday afternoon involved our guest
speaker for the day, Bishop Lee Rayfield
(Suffragan Bishop of Swindon), and other
members from both parishes attending a local
pub quiz, Saturday evening saw the church open
its doors to its neighbours. While the Church can
often seem like a foreign community to non-
church goers, what better way to communicate
the message that we’re just as human as them,
than by sharing with them the things that are core
to us all: good music and good food! The evening
started and ended with live music by Bristol-
based singer-songwriter, Robin Mitchell and his
band and it provided an approachable
atmosphere. And the food was Indian, but not too
spicy!
In between, Bishop Lee gave a talk where he
included some parts of his testimony and shared
his thoughts, centred on the theme of ‘A life worth
living’. He spoke about the differences in how we
view ourselves and how God sees us, the call that
God has on each of our lives that makes it worth
living, but his underlying message was ultimately
about God’s love for us. It was short and simple
and in an age where the Church is perceived to be
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“anti-a lot of things”, it’s the only message the
world really needs to hear.
After the talk, there was an opportunity to ask
questions. A fair few were asked about mission,
evangelism, and the one that I guess everyone on
earth wants to know the answer to was asked by a
young girl: why can’t life be easy?
The church wasn’t teeming with visitors on
Saturday evening, but the mission was still a
success because the Church successfully did what
God asked. By inviting people, regardless of
whether they came or not, the message would
have been spread that the Church wants to be
among the community, not locked away in our
fortress. And those who did attend and heard the
message of God’s love would have hopefully also
seen this message in action through the serving
heart of the Church and taken this home with
them. Reiterating Revd Douglas’s message, the
events of Friday, Saturday and the preceding
prayer walks were all links in God’s plan to bring
the Gospel to the area of Eastville and beyond.
Rev K P Johnson, Mr. Manoj Chacko from the St
Thomas Mar Thoma Church and Rev Tina Goede,
Mrs. Carla Macgregor have been instrumental
along with members of both parishes in making a
maiden attempt to reach out to the Gospel into
the neighbourhood of the St Anne’s Parish,
Eastville
Suzanna Abraham
St Thomas Mar Thoma Church, Bristol
A Day of Fellowship and
Harmony
The World Day of Prayer and the Sevika
Sanghom Retreat, St.Thomas Mar Thoma
Church, Bristol
The Sevika Sanghom members of the St.Thomas
Mar Thoma Church, Bristol, recently conducted a
combined World Day of Prayer and a Sevika
Sanghom retreat in the premises of a church hall
in Weston-Super-Mare, with the members of
Weston-Super Mare playing hosts for the day. The
World Day of Prayer is observed on the first
Friday of March every year. For reasons of
convenience, the Sevika Sanghom of the
St.Thomas Mar Thoma church observes it
annually on the first Saturday of the month of
March. The annual theme was prepared and
based on the country of Bahamas, an archipelago
in the Atlantic Ocean. In the past couple of years,
we have chosen to travel to different destinations
where our members reside, like Cardiff, Bath and
this year the venue was aptly chosen as Weston
Super Mare, the seaside city of the Southwest. The
hosts, our members of Weston played their part -
they were dressed in the local costumes of the
Bahamas and served thematic refreshments like
coconut water and mango juice. Tropical fruits
were kept as décor pieces in corners of the hall.
Calypso music played in the background while the
ladies started to pour in for the day’s events. Had
it not been for the cold outside, we could have
easily transported the session outdoors with the
sun and the sand playing party to the theme!
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The day began with a worship service. The
worship order prepared by the Mar Thoma church
is based on the worship order prescribed by WDP,
the global organization for the World Day of
Prayer service. Our members led the service and
our vicar, Rev. K.P Johnson offered the blessings.
A presentation of the country’s history,
geography, demographics, religion and other
relevant details were presented beautifully by one
of our members, Mrs. Susie John, who also in her
slide show, had inputs from her visit to the
Bahamas! A country of azure waters, colorful
flora, friendly people, tax free (!)– She made every
one of us want to visit the country at some point!
Mrs. Smitha Sunil shared the message based on
the theme of the service- ‘Do you know what I
have done to you?’ from the first seven verses of
the gospel according to John, Chapter 13. Smitha
dwelled on the expanse and the radical love of
Christ that is over arching, free to all who will
receive. She also vividly explained the setting
where Christ washed his disciples’ feet, conveying
the humility required from every one of his
followers. Other members contributed to the
discussion that ensued. An hour of intercessory
prayer was subsequently held to pray for the
needs of the Bahamas, of its women, and the
needs of our church and community. These
sessions where the women gather together and
pray have always brought about a great sense of
power in prayer and of renewed vigour in praying
for each other. Mrs. Annie John Cherian then
hosted a light session of table setting demos,
talking about basic principles of fine dining.
Lunch was a rather relaxed and enjoyable
experience, and the women had a chance to chat
and unwind. The afternoon session was filled with
laughter and banter as members from Weston
Super Mare and Cardiff presented skits, based on
biblical themes. We wrapped up with the days
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events with a delightful afternoon tea. Many of
our members had arrived from different parts of
the Southwest by train, some had travelled right
after a night of work, and some were local. It was
a day of fellowship and camaraderie, one which
we women look forward to year after year.
Mrs. Annie John Cherian
Bristol
Condolences
Mr. John Thomas
(Johnnychayan or
uncle Johnny), who
had died at 9PM on
Sunday 22nd March
in
Harrow, London,
aged 84, was a
founding member
of the Sinai MTC,
North London. He was one of the earliest settlers
in this country. He travelled from Kozhencherry
to Singapore and then to UK in the late
1950; he was a pillar of the Mar Thoma
Community and helped in the formation of all our
parishes in this country. He served the Queen and
the country by working for the RAF. He was a
most charming and devout Christian. He is
survived by his wife, Mrs. Kunjunjamma Thomas,
four children and ten grandchildren. He will be
greatly missed. The Mar Thoma Community in
Europe thank God for his life and ministry and
offers our condolences.
May his soul rest in peace.
The Editorial Board.
First woman bishop ordained
in the Church of England
Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, presided over
the ordination and consecration of Revd Libby
Lane, 48, as Bishop of Stockport at a service in
York Minster on Monday, 26th January 2015. She
is the first woman bishop in the Church of
England. The debate over whether to ordain
women as bishops has long proved divisive. More
than 100 bishops travelled to York for the service.
However tensions over Mrs Lane’s consecration
resurfaced last week when Dr Sentamu revealed
he would not lay hands on a male vicar, Fr. Philip
North, about to be made bishop of Burnley,
who does not accept the ordination of women as
bishops. But rather than have Dr Sentamu lay
hands on him, only two bishops who have never
ordained a woman priest will do so. Although
Bishop Lane is the Church of England’s first
woman bishop, within the global Anglican
Communion there are 30 female bishops, most
notably the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal
Church in the US, Dr Katharine Jefferts Schori.
40
Youth Conference Article
1st MarThoma Youth Conference of Europe
It is a great pleasure to announce that the 1st
MarThoma Youth Conference of Europe is taking
place during the summer of 2015. This 3 day
conference being conducted from the 26th June to
the 28th June, 2015 will be held at Cefn Lea Park
& Conference Centre in Wales and the hosts for
this wonderful event are Carmel MarThoma
Youth Fellowship, Liverpool.
The theme selected for this conference is “Soar on
wings like eagles” taken from Isaiah 40:31. A logo
was designed by Miss Rinju Philip, a youth
member of Carmel MTC church, Liverpool, to
represent the chosen theme. Furthermore, it is a
privilege to announce that our beloved diocesan
bishop, Rt. Rev. Dr. Geevarghese Mar Theodosius
Episcopa set in motion this year’s Youth
Conference by inaugurating the conference logo
on his visit to Liverpool in January 2015.
The conference will be blessed with the presence
of Rev Jameson K. from Dublin, Ireland as a
speaker along with the well renounced Authors
and missionaries Rod Gilbert and Ruthie Gilbert.
Along with the 3 speakers, all the MarThoma
Vicars of Europe have given their full support for
the conference and have shown their interest to
partake in this special occasion committed to help
with spiritual renewal and bring our young people
closer to God.
This conference aims to accomplish and address
the needs of the youths of the MarThoma
community, help them develop the relevant skills
and spiritually dedicate their lives to the Lord.
The conference is to conduct in-depth Bible study
that helps youths know God and equip them to
serve the Church effectively.
"Prayer changes us. Prayer calls on God to change
circumstances. Prayer is powerful. Prayer brings
revival. Prayer transforms God's people and
brings about salvation. Prayer makes us bold for
the Lord." The youths of several MarThoma
Parishes have already initiated a chain prayer
intended for the success of the event; to gather as
a youth community and be spiritually
strengthened with the power and glory of God.
Please pray and partake in this wonderful event.
Thank You,
Youths of Carmel MarThoma Church,
Liverpool
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ECHO Garden
~ - Separated - ~ Mozhiyil Annie Joseph
Separated set apart and called
Separated to witness Him
Separated to know His will
Separated to do His work
Separated to think, spell, and do good
To save those world from sin
To walk in the right path
The way of truth, justice, love, service
For the redemption of mankind
Separated to light and to be lighted
Happy Easter to
every one - From ECHO family